Etsy treasury finds

I love the Etsy Treasury feature. It is such a lovely way to explore beautiful things themed by people who have more time than me to trawl through Etsy! I get lors of inspiration for my next sewing and craft projects from etsy, I'm sure you do too!

Here are some links to some pretty and quirky things that have caught my eye recently. Click on the pic to go to the Etsy Page and enjoy!



ILoveYoYo crocheted flowers

 


MaidofYarn cat yarn bowl

 


Silvia66 Giant Crochet cowl





Gingermelon woodland stufflings pdf pattern

 


Atouchofstardust- Chandeliers & Sparrows wristlet



prettybabybowtique headband

I love the birdie clutch and the little headband. The woodland stufflings are super sweet too and would make a lovely handmade present for someone special.

Feel free to share your Etsy wants in the comment section because I'd love to take a look at what you like!

xx

make a paper vinyl wallet

Everyone love Martha, right? Living in Australia, I haven't been lucky enough to grow up with Martha Stewart on tv everyday, but I was lucky enough to discover her website which has lots of clips from previous episodes. She's one clever and crafty lady! I have learned about all things handmade from the craft and sewing tutorials to diy and home projects. Such a great resource!

In one episode I discovered how to make a paper vinyl wallet  by Kristy from Dear Sukie. I fell in love with the idea but you need a non stick foot for your sewing machine to be able to complete the project successfully (which I didn't have....).
I did try to make it with a normal foot and lots of cursing and tantrums ensued so I didn't bother trying again!

Until recently when I read somewhere that you can place strips of painters or masking tape on the bottom of your foot to help it glide over the pvc plastic more easily. It worked!

I immediately downloaded the templates for the pockets and main body piece and followed the instructions in the tutorial linked above. There is also a clip from the episode you can watch which helps as the instructions can seem a little confusing.

Here are some pictures of the paper vinyl wallet I made as a gift for my friend Liz who loves owls. I hope she likes it.

paper vinyl wallet

paper vinyl wallet inside view

It was fun to make after a couple of false starts. I'd definitely try it again sometime.

What do you think?

Feedback always welcome!

xx

Sharing the love of angry birds costume making....

This morning I received an email that truly made my day. It was from a lovely lady from Wisconsin who discovered my posts on Angry Birds costume making and with the help of her mum, created two costumes for her little boys.

I thought I'd share the email and the picture of her cute little boys as it made me smile:

"I looked all over the internet for angry bird costume patterns with no luck and then I ran across your website, elegantpaws. Your site helped my mom and I figure out how to make my 2 children costumes (well, roughly, I had no idea what I was doing and she has some sewing experinece). The end result is not as nice as yours but my boys just loved them and wear them all the time, they also have many envious friends :) With any luck they'll hold up until next October and they can wear them for Halloween.
Again, thanks for posting on your site, it helped us a lot in trying to create these costumes. Attached is a picture. I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing our version of your costumes."


Jessica. 

Don't they look fantastic? I am so impressed and thrilled that I can help perpetuate the Angry Birds obsession that is gripping the world!

Feel free to add links to your Angry Birds creations in the comment section below or send me an email with your pictures and I'll add it to this post.

xx

YOUR favourite craft or sewing tutorials

I have an ever growing list of tutorials for things I'd like to have a go at if only there were a few more hours in the day!

I get lots of inspiration from websites such as craft gossip, cut out and keep and one pretty thing where I have discovered not only a whole range of wonderful tutorials but the fantastic blogs they come from.

So today I am curious to hear from you - What sewing or craft tutorials have you been inspired by lately?

I'm pretty open to a range of areas- sewing, craft, papercraft, diy.... anything!

So it's.....

image found at free pretty things for you!

Share a link to your chosen tutorial in the comment section below with a brief description of why you like it so much. Feel free to promote your own tutorials too!

I love reading comments and sharing the blog love, don't you?


xx

Blog love: embroidery basics from Wild Olive

Last week I found an amazing bargain at my local op shop - the entire 6 folder collection of a subscription series called 'needlecraft magic'.

I ended up buying two folders, one that focuses on the techniques of cross stitch and embroidery and one packed full of stencils and projects incorporating fabric painting with embroidery detail. A true gem for only $5 per folder!!!

Then (as things usually happen in my life) I stumbled upon this blog by Mollie Johnson:

Here, she shares projects and patterns for embroidery and cross stitch and a great little series on embroidery basics. Each week she introduces new techniques for you to follow along, and everything is stepped out simply with great pictures and detail. I would recommend stopping by her blog and the embroidery basics series if you would like a good introduction to this handicraft. I believe it is coming back in vogue in a big way!

I have always admired embroidery but haven't tried it earlier as I figured I am probably too clumsy and impatient and I generally have a lack of attention to detail. However, since the universe led me to the awesomeness of 'needlecraft magic' I am willing to give it a go as I think you could make pieces unique and interesting with embroidered detail.

We'll see how it goes....

In the meantime, here are some links to some cute embroidery patterns I have found for you to enjoy.

Amy from Pimp Stitch shares a tutorial for Embroidered buttons. Too cute!



Catherine of Bumpkin has this gorgeous embroidery pattern on her etsy store, available for pdf download. So cute!

I found a detailed tutorial for making an embroidered Strawberry Shortcake apron from tada creations. Strawberry shortcake was one of my favourite characters as a child, I even had little dolls of her and her cat cheesecake and they both smelled like strawberry. mmmm. :)

There are also heaps of embroidery patterns and tips and tricks to be found on one pretty thing, feeling stitchy and craft gossip.

Feel free to share links to cute embroidery patterns in the comments section!

xx